Destiny: Rise of Iron strikes on September 20th

As expected, Bungie and Activision have officially revealed the next big Destiny expansion – Destiny: Rise of Iron.

So what the hell is Rise of Iron you ask? No, it’s still not Destiny 2, but since we’ll apparently be waiting a bit longer for that we’ll have to settle for a hopefully content-packed new expansion for the original Destiny and Destiny: The Taken King.

What’s in Rise of Iron it you ask, well according to Activision: “There’s a ton of content packed in Rise of Iron, including a new location, a new Raid and a new Strike, combined with more quests, weapons, gear, a competitive multiplayer mode and more that we think players are going to love.” Speaking as a casual but dedicated Destiny player, that sounds pretty great so far.

Destiny: Rise of Iron is scheduled for a September 20th, 2016 release date, a little more than a year after The Taken King’s release (for those keeping track). Note that Rise of Iron is only for current gen platforms, meaning the PS4 and Xbox One, so hopefully that means we’ll finally be getting some enhancements without fear of holding the last-gen versions back. The expansion will set fans back $29.99 and will require Destiny: The Taken King.

Check out the reveal trailer, and an Iron Gjallarhorn pre-order bonus teaser and some art.

Destiny: Rise of Iron – Reveal trailer:

Destiny: Rise of Iron – Gjallarhorn trailer:

Destiny: Rise of Iron art/screens:

Read on for the official announcement.

Bungie and Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc., announced Destiny: Rise of Iron, the next highly-anticipated, large expansion in the Destiny universe.Building upon the legacy of Destiny, this new chapter draws players back to where their journey was born and entices them to join alongside one of Destiny’s greatest heroes to battle an ancient enemy from the past. Rise of Iron launches on September 20, 2016 and will be available for the PlayStation 4 system and Xbox One (PlayStation Plus, Xbox Live Gold, required for some features). Requires Destiny game and The Taken King (includes Expansions I & II), sold separately.

“Rise of Iron is an exciting addition to the Destiny universe,” said Pete Parsons, CEO of Bungie. “We are continually blown away and inspired by the growing Destiny community’s energy and enthusiasm.”

“We have been working hard with our partners at Bungie and are planning great, new content for Destiny’s 30 million registered players. Rise of Iron is the first step in fulfilling that promise,” said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision. “There’s a ton of content packed in Rise of Iron, including a new location, a new Raid and a new Strike, combined with more quests, weapons, gear, a competitive multiplayer mode and more that we think players are going to love.”

Guardians must rise to the challenge to take their place as the next generation of Iron Lords. Along the way they will join forces with a legend from humanity’s Golden Age to defeat a plague of unstoppable evil once and for all. The game features a collection of fresh content including an all-new setting on Earth called The Plaguelands, a brand-new six-player Raid, Felwinter Peak, a new social space that looks out onto The Plaguelands, new cooperative three-player Strike, more quests, weapons, gear, competitive multiplayer mode and maps, a Light level increase, a new mutated enemy faction of the Fallen, and more.

All Rise of Iron players will be able to acquire the Gjallarhorn, a fan favorite weapon making its return. Those players who preorder beginning June 9th will receive the limited-edition, black and silver Iron Gjallarhorn.*

Rise of Iron is rated T for Teen by the ESRB. The expansion will be available at a suggested retail price of $29.99. At launch, PlayStation gamers will also get access to a collection of timed exclusive content for Rise of Iron, content and timing of exclusivity to be announced at a later date.